Beyond Chronic Pain
Media Room
Limits of Pain Management
Published in Suburban Journal - St. Charles
By Elizabeth Perry
Chronic pain changed Rebecca Rengo's life.
"I had to drop out of college for a semester. I went to multiple doctors and specialists across the country. I don't know how I survived, looking back," Rengo said.
Rengo, of Weldon Spring, said she has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a syndrome linked to body-wide, debilitating pain. She said she manages her condition through meditation.
Rengo is a licensed social worker and pain coach and is involved in several pain advocacy groups, including the Missouri Pain Initiative as well as the Power Over Pain Action Network.
That's why when she heart a recent study ranked Missouri relatively low in helping patients manage pain, Rengo spoke out to the media.
"Chronic pain really degrades the human spirit," Rengo said.
The July 15 report by the Pain and Policy Studies Group at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health graded states in their overall success of addressing patients' pain through laws and regulations limiting access to medication.
The Progress Report Card was funded by grants from the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and through a cooperative agreement with the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Through the rating system, Missouri was given a C-plus -- a grade it has maintained since 2003.
"I think the report card is really a good effort at improving patients' access to pain medication in a balanced manner," Rengo said.
States have the task of providing a balance between granting people in pain access to medicine and keeping the same medicine out of the hands of drug abusers.
Rep. Joe Smith, R-14th District, of St. Charles said that although he is not a pain expert, he has never received a call from his constituents about the issue.
I am disappointed at the grade Missouri got, and that's something we'll have to work on in the next legislative session," Smith said.
Sen. Scott Rupp,. R-2nd District, of Wentzville, who did not read the study, said recent strives have been made in helping patients gain access to pain medication.
During the last legislative session, Missouri lawmakers approved a bill that would enable advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe certain pain medications in rural areas, Rupp said.
Sometimes those patients only have access to a registered nurse, Rupp said, delaying their ability to receiv pain - relieving medications from a doctor.
Statistics reflect that gap.
According to a 2006 study by the National Center for Health Statistics. adults living in families with income less than twice the poverty level reported pain more often than adults with higher incomes.
Sen. Harry Kennedy, D-1st District of St. Louis is on the Missouri Advisory Council on Pain and Symptom Management. He said he was disappointed in Missouri's grade on pain management, but was glad the grade has not gone down in recent years.
"I think one of the problems is good intentions but no money," Kennedy said.
Kennedy said serving on the advisory council is largely a volunteer venture and that a lack of funding hinders the members' ability to put ideas into action.
"I think one thing to really get that grade up is you also have to get that information in the hands of not just doctors but agencies that can understand it," Kennedy said.
Kennedy said current law shouldn't restrict legal use of narcotics.
"Legislation might help, but I always think legislation is the last course, the last option to take," Kennedy said.
Dr. Suresh Krishnan, director of the Pain Management Center at SSM St Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis, said though prosecution for over-prescription is a definite reality for doctors, his primary conern in limiting narcotics is the safety of patients who could overdose or become addicted to the drugs.
"It's been a policy for me to prescribe (narcotics) on a very selective basis," Krishnan said.
Krishnan said he had not read the pain study, but said he doesn't think law restricts his ability to adequately treat patients.
According to a 2006 report by the National Center for Health Statistics, 27.1 percent of women reported they were in pain, more than men at 24.4 percent.
Rengo said one of the difficult aspects of pain management is when others blame the sufferer for not functioning better.
"No one can judge someone else's pain," Rengo said.
Contact Rebecca Rengo anytime by email or by calling toll-free 1-866-934-5065
6209 Mid Rivers Mall Dr.,Suite 199
St. Charles, MO. 63304
(636) 300-3948
866-934-5065